It’s fair to wonder whether without former Rep. Brandt Iden driving the bus, the sports betting and online casino train would’ve ever left the runway.

Terrible mixed metaphors aside, Iden’s role in creating the Michigan market cannot be overstated. The state’s gaming provisions are held up as a model of how to do online gaming right, specifically the lower tax on sports betting and higher tax on casino, a competitive market providing choice for the consumer, and the partnership among the state, the national operators, and the local tribes.

But despite all the successes of the Michigan market, Iden — who is now the head of government affairs for Sportradar — wishes he could go back in time and add something to his bill legalizing online gambling in Michigan.